GULFTENE C16-18 ISOMERISED OLEFINS - NICNAS

Fish Acute Toxicity Test (Environment & Resource Technology Ltd 1995)
The toxicity tests on C16-18 olefins to marine fish (turbot) were conducted over a 96 hour
period using a semi static methodology (OECD TG 203) with renewal of the test media at 48
hours. The tests were conducted with five WAFs made up with nominal loadings of test
substance between 1 000 and 10 000 mg/L, together with a control containing no test
substance. Ten fish were exposed at each WAF loading, and the temperature was
15.4±0.7°C, the pH between 7.8 and 8.3, and the dissolved oxygen levels between 85 and
98% saturation. No fish mortality or aberrant behaviour was observed in any of the test
vessels, and accordingly the LL50 is greater than 10 000 mg/L (nominal) loading, and the
NOEL also greater than 10 000 mg/L. The test substance is considered non toxic to this
species of marine fish up to the limit of its water solubility.
Decapod (Crustacean) Acute Toxicity Test (AnalytiKEM Environmental Laboratory
1993)
The tests on mysid shrimp were conducted according to the US EPA protocols (US EPA
1985; US EPA 1991). The tests used JCG-A2 which is a drilling fluid containing a high
proportion of C16-18 olefins. The summary report provided did not elaborate on the full test
methodology, but it appears that the tests were performed using WAFs prepared with 0
(control), 30, 60, 125, 250 and 500 g/L of the test substance in reconstituted sea water (20 g/L
salt), with the resultant aqueous phase used for the tests. Three replicate tests were performed
at each WAF loading and the control, using 20 animals in each test vessel (ie 60 animals
tested at each WAF loading). The tests were conducted over a 96 hour period with the
temperature maintained at 20±2°C. No significant mortality of the test animals was observed
over the 96 hour test period for the WAFs prepared with 60 g/L loading, but after 96 hours
exposure to 125 g/L, 10% of the animals had died, while after 96 hours the mortality was
78% and 100%, respectively for the 250 and 500 g/L preparations. Probit analysis furnished
the LL50 WAF of 195 g/L, which indicates that exposure to very high levels of the test
substance may be lethal for this species. It is difficult to establish the true significance of this
result, but since the 96 hour LL50 is well in excess of 1 000 mg/L under normal levels of
exposure the material may be classified as non toxic to this species.
A summary report of a second test on mysid shrimp conducted by the same laboratory
(apparently using identical methodology) was also submitted, and the data indicated an LL50
> 1,000 g/L. n fact 45% mortality among the test animals was recorded after 96 hours
exposure to the WAF prepared at 1 00 g/L. However, the nature of the test material was not
specified, nor was it clear whether the test material was composed of the olefins themselves
or a drilling mud containing these chemicals. Accordingly, while the result is reported here, it
is not entered in the table above.
A third test report on the toxicity of a drilling mud containing C14-20 olefins to mysid shrimp
was also submitted (Frederick P Sintiere K Melancon S 1999) (Croudace CP Tapp JF 1995).
This test was also conducted over a 96 hour period using the same methodology as described
above. The initial WAF preparation was made up at 10% v/v by stirring 200 mL of the
drilling mud into 1800 mL of sea water, and the tests were conducted with this, and
successive dilutions of this WAF ie 50, 25, 12.5 and 6.25%, together with a sea water control.
As above 60 mysids were exposed to each test WAF, and after 96 hours exposure to the
FULL PUBLIC REPORT 26 April 2000
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